Breaking Point
by Revert to Normal
Summary: Rufus is breaking down, pushing away the one person he loves. Reno refuses to accept what's happening. Why can't everything be a fairytale ending?


Disclaimer: I own nothing. That is a depressing sentence...

A/N: So, I'm supposed to be working on my other fic, Frozen Wasteland...But I really don't want to write it anymore. So to take a break I wrote this. It's short, it's a little cliche, but this is what you get. I hope you enjoy it somewhat!

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Reno walked to Rufus' office, ready to drag his boss away from the pile of paperwork that was most likely still on his desk. He had been looking forward to this all day; just him, Rufus, and a night alone. It sounded a little cheesy, and not what most people would think Reno would do on a Saturday night, but what did they know? He and Rufus hardly had time for each other anymore. It seemed like he was either off on a mission, tracking down some threat to the company, or Rufus was on a business trip.

They had been together for five years now, which was a hands down record for both of them. And considering their personalities, there hadn't even been that many problems. And really, that was surprising since by all rights they shouldn't have been able to stand each other. Reno was loud, unorganized, always moving, needed constant action, and joked about anything and everything. Rufus couldn't have been anymore different. He thrived for organization, preferred the quiet, and was just fine sitting at home reading.

And if you wanted to be purely physical about it, they were polar opposites there too. Reno with his unruly, red hair and mischievous aqua-green eyes put that together with his unkempt clothing and screw-you smirk and he just spelled trouble. Rufus had perfectly styled hair, at all times, and blue eyes that showed just how cold he was, he dressed to intimidate and gave off the vibe that, while he may be the President, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you.

Reno smiled as he opened the door, not even bothering to knock because really, what was the point if he wasn't going to wait for an answer anyway? The door opened to reveal Rufus sitting at his desk with a pile of papers still waiting to be looked over. Without even looking up, Rufus seemed to know who had just come in because he gestured lazily to one of the chairs in front of his desk saying "I don't know why you can't knock. It wouldn't kill you to be polite."

"What's it matter if I knock or not? You always know it's me." Reno ignored the offer of a chair and instead opted to walk around the desk and perch on the edge so that he could effectively stop Rufus from working.

"Just because I know it's you doesn't mean I'm going to let you come in. What if I was in a meeting or preparing a speech," Rufus narrowed his eyes at Reno's smirk and added, "or just didn't want to deal with you at the moment?"

"When have you ever not been happy to see me?" Reno asked, leaning forward and tugging on a lock of blond hair. Rufus swatted his hand away and stood, going to stand by his window.

"Now."

"Now what?" Reno asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm not happy to see you now," Rufus responded, his back to Reno as he continued to look out the window to the dark city below.

"What do you mean you're not happy to see me? We're supposed to go and spend time together, remember? You, me, alone…ring any bells?" Reno stood and walked up behind Rufus.

"I know that's what we planned on doing, but I can't leave now."

"What the hell are you talking about? I asked you six hours ago if we were still on and you said yes! What could've changed?" Reno pulled on Rufus, trying to get him to turn around and look at him.

"I have too much work to do, I can't just drop it all to spend time with you," Rufus said coldly, as he let Reno turn him. Reno just looked at him, taking in the icy glare that was usually reserved for people he hated, like Avalanche or Hojo or his father, if he were still around.

"I've been gone for three weeks; we didn't see each other once the whole time. Are you really telling me that your paperwork is more important than spending one night with me?" Reno asked, hurt and anger clear in his voice.

"At the moment, yes it is. There have been rumors of an attack on Shinra and I need to address them immediately," Rufus pulled away from Reno's grip and walked back over to his desk.

"There's a threat towards Shinra? So what, that happens all the time," Reno laughed; he couldn't believe Rufus was making such a big deal out of a daily occurrence. Rufus sighed, putting his hands on his desk and hunching forward.

"This isn't the same. It's not just a group thinking they can barge in here and shoot up the place. It's not even like Avalanche. These people, whoever they are, are a much bigger threat. And not just to us, but to any city we do major business in," Rufus spoke as though it had already happened. Like he was already mourning the loss of his empire.

"I don't understand what the…," Reno began, only to be cut off by Rufus turning around grabbing him by the shoulders. Before he could fully register what was happening, he was being slammed against a wall.

"Of course you don't understand! Why would you? You weren't hired for your brains, Reno. So how could someone like you even think about understanding what is going on?" Rufus yelled as he continued to pin Reno against the wall.

Reno's eyes widened in shock. Rufus was never out of control, if anything he remained calm far too much. "Rufus, what the hell is the matter with you? Since when do you start freaking out and slamming people into walls?"

Rufus' eyes suddenly lost all the coldness in them, and he let go of Reno, stepping back quickly. He looked down at his hands then back to Reno, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done. As Reno watched, Rufus began to shake and sank down to his knees staring at his hands. Reno walked over and knelt in front of him.

"Rufus? It's okay, whatever it is, I'm sure it's okay," Reno said awkwardly, wondering what would make the strongest man in the world act like this.

"It's not alright. Everything I worked for is falling apart in front of me and there's nothing I can do to stop it," Rufus said, his voice trembling as much as his hands.

"What are you talking about? How is everything falling apart?" Reno ducked his head, trying to make eye contact with the blond. Rufus looked up, his eyes showing a display of emotions Reno would've thought impossible for him to feel. Rufus clenched his hands into fists, the shaking coming to a stop, and stared at Reno as though wondering if he should tell the Turk what was happening.

"I'm just like my father. The people realized that while I was still denying that fact. I wanted to be nothing like him, I wanted to be stronger, better," Rufus said.

"You are better. You've done things he couldn't have imagined," Reno argued.

"No, I'm exactly like him. I see that now. I'm no better than him. I lie, cheat, steal, and kill just like he did. And just like with him, the people are uprising against me," Rufus said all this with a tone of acceptance. He had already come to terms with all of this, with the fact that he would die much in the same way as his father. And with his death, the fall of Shinra would come.

"You're nothing like him, why are thinking this? And why are you worried about a rebellion when you have us to take of things like that?" Reno asked. He didn't understand why Rufus was breaking down like this. He had faced worse things than this before.

"The Turks don't have a chance against what is to come. And if you continue to stay loyal to me, you will be killed as well," Rufus said, the cold anger creeping back into his voice.

"Even if I don't stay loyal to you, I'm as good as dead. I've done too much for this company, killed too many people, to just be allowed to walk away. I'm not going to abandon you just to save my own skin, Rufus."

"Don't you get it? You have to leave. All of you have to leave, there's nothing left for you here but death," Rufus insisted, trying to keep from yelling at the red-head.

"When I signed up for this job I understood I would probably die doing it. I would die for you Rufus, don't _you_ get it?" Reno said softly, trying to get the man in front of him to understand he wasn't leaving.

Rufus just stared at the stubborn idiot. He didn't know how to respond to this. He had figured that Reno wouldn't willingly leave him; he knew he would sacrifice his life to save him. He loved Reno more than anything he had ever loved in his life, and knew the same was true for Reno. So how could he expect him to leave when Rufus needed him the most? He couldn't, but he had to make him go. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was the reason for Reno's death.

Reno fidgeted as the silence grew heavier and more uncomfortable. He didn't know what else to say, he thought he had made it pretty clear that nothing could make him leave. So why did Rufus look so determined to make him go?

"What makes you think I want you to be around? I don't want you here anymore," Rufus said, putting as much hate as he could into his words. He couldn't believe he was saying this to Reno, but it had to be done. Reno might hate him for it, but at least he would be alive.

"You don't mean that. You're just trying to get me to go away, it's not going to work," Reno stated, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He was settling down like he was prepared to sit there all night.

"I'm not just saying that. I don't love you. These past five years have been fun, but it's over now," Rufus said, his voice threatening to break. "Why would you ever think I could spend the rest of my life with you? Did you really think this would be your happy ending?"

"Rufus," Reno stared at him, unable to say anything. A part of him knew Rufus didn't mean any of it, but another part, a louder part, was saying that this was true. Why would the President of the most powerful company want to be with him? He could be with anyone he wanted, he was obviously settling for Reno and had now decided to move onto bigger and better things.

"Don't act like you didn't see this coming. We both knew this was just temporary, nothing could ever come from this," Rufus sneered. Reno stood, looking down at the man he had thought loved him. He had never known pain like this before. Sure, he had broken bones, nearly bled to death numerous times, been impaled on swords, almost been blown up, and countless other injuries, but nothing ever hurt like this.

"I don't believe you," Reno whispered, still hoping that this was a lie, a dream. Maybe he would wake up and find that this had all been a horrible nightmare. He would wake up to find that he had fallen asleep in his office, he would go see Rufus and everything would be fine. It had to be fine.

Rufus looked at the man he was slowly breaking. He wanted nothing more than to stop, but knew he couldn't. If he did, Reno didn't stand a chance of surviving the attack that was coming. "It's time to face the truth, Reno. We can't keep fooling ourselves, we never loved each other. We were just a good fuck to one another."

Reno looked at Rufus in horror. He had loved him, truly loved him. He never let anyone get close to him in fear that they would hurt him. But Rufus had been different; he had fit into Reno's life so perfectly it was like they were meant for each other. And listening to Rufus he was reminded why he never let anyone in, why he remained distant. As he stared into the blue eyes of his boss, friend, lover, he couldn't see any hint of a lie in them. Rufus wasn't just saying this to get rid of him, he meant every word.

"Fine. I guess I'm just getting in your way then. You won't see me around here anymore, I quit," Reno snarled, backing away from the still kneeling President. Rufus flinched at the tone of voice being directed at him. He deserved, he knew he did, but it still broke him to hear the person he loved speak to him with such hatred.

"You knew I was heartless. You know I'd do anything to get ahead, to get what I want. Did you think you could change me? I'll always be the same," Rufus said, standing. This was it. He was pushing Reno away, out of his life forever.

"I realize that now. That's what I get for thinking you had a heart somewhere," Reno walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. "Have a good life, Mr. Shinra."

With one last look over his shoulder, he was gone. Rufus stood there, staring at where the red-head had disappeared. He wanted to run after him, to tell him he was sorry. He wanted to erase what had just happened. Mostly he wanted Reno to know that he had changed him. Reno had made him realize he could be happy, be loved, be human. The man who doesn't bleed or cry, Rufus snorted at the thought. That statement would no longer be true as Rufus felt his eyes water.

"Have a good life, Reno. I love you."

A/N: And there you have it. The old "I'm pushing you away to save you" thing. And, no, I don't know who's going to attack Shinra. I didn't think about that, which is why there isn't more to this story. So, I hope you found something entertaining in this thing. And if you feel the desire, REVIEW. It would be very much appreaciated! Later!


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